The BEST Candied Yams Recipe (without corn syrup!) (2024)

FAQs

What makes sweet potatoes so sweet? ›

Why Are Sweet Potatoes Sweet? When you heat a sweet potato, an enzyme starts breaking down it's starch into a sugar called maltose. Maltose is made up of two glucose molecules bound together, and tastes about a third as sweet as regular table sugar, also known as sucrose. Maltose contains no fructose.

Drain the syrup: This is a key move so your candied yams don't turn out runny due to too much liquid in the baking dish. Place the drained yams into a medium baking dish.

Although both veggies are very close in fiber, protein, vitamin C, and magnesium, sweet potatoes are the healthier option because they are lower in overall calories, lower in carbohydrates, and higher in beta carotene (vitamin A).

Sometimes it's caused by specific varieties of sweet potatoes that naturally have a slightly bitter flavor, while other times, bitterness can occur if the sweet potato wasn't fresh or if it's been stored for too long, leading to changes in its taste profile.

Satsuma-Imo (AKA Japanese Sweet Potatoes)

Satsuma-Imo have similar reddish-purple skin to Garnets but have a light yellow interior. Their dry, russet potato-like flesh is incredibly sweet and more starchy than other sweet potatoes. They taste amazing simply roasted or sauteed.

They're high in fiber and antioxidants, which protect your body from free radical damage and promote a healthy gut and brain. They're also incredibly rich in beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system.

Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, while yams belong to the lily family. Yams aren't as sweet as sweet potatoes, and they are starchier and drier. Their texture and flavor are more similar to potatoes or yuca.

Top your sweet potato and yogurt sauce with crispy lentils or cooked black beans. Add leftover roasted vegetables (especially eggplant), sautéed onions or peppers, or fresh herbs or scallions if you have them. A little green sauce or salsa is nice here too.

Baking can also cause an 80% drop in vitamin A levels, twice as much as boiling. Therefore, from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking should be recommended for cooking sweet potato.

Place the yams in a large saucepan or pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat and simmer just until they can be pierced with a fork and starting to soften (they will not be fully cooked), about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Transfer to a baking dish.

Why do people put marshmallows on candied yams? ›

Despite what your grandmother says, this cloying side dish didn't originate as a family recipe. It was concocted by Big Marshmallow as a way to push the candy on Americans. Though the tubers are high in sugar to begin with, there's historical precedent for treating sweet potatoes like dessert.

Do you have to poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking? Typically holes are poked into a sweet potato to prevent a potato exploding in your oven. However, the chance of that happening is low, and according to Lifehacker, sweet potatoes will retain more flavor if you don't poke them.

The name was applied by African slaves brought to the US, who remembered the true yam (Dioscorea ) in Africa. The sweet potato reminded them of that, and they applied the African word for yams to them. The usage stuck.

Sweet potatoes tend to have a more tapered shape and may be firm or soft with thinner skin. Generally, sweet potatoes taste sweeter than yams. You will more readily encounter sweet potatoes during your regular grocery run, but if you spot a yam, which may be labeled "sweet potato," you'll know the truth.

If you're able to find true yams in your supermarket, they can be prepared just like your favorite potato recipes—boiled, roasted, baked, or fried. But if sweet, candied recipes are what you're after, you probably want to stick to using sweet potatoes.

True yams are part of an entirely different genus (Dioscorea; sweet potatoes belong to Ipomoea in the morning glory family) and are more akin to yuca in texture and flavor. Yams are commonly used in Caribbean and West African cooking and can grow as long and thick as an adult arm.